Greek court to rule on ‘farcical’ charges against refugee rescuers this week
Supporters of the 24 aid workers and volunteers of 24 aid workers and volunteers accused of participating in migrant rescue operations hang up a banner outside the court in Mytilene, on the northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos, Greece, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2
A COURT in Greece is to decide later this week whether to drop the “farcical” charges against 24 refugee rescuers after the trial was postponed to Friday following procedural objections from the defendants’ lawyers.
The activists, who volunteered with the refugee rescue and support organisation Emergency Response Centre International (ERCI), saved thousands of lives in the waters around the Greek island of Lesbos between 2017 and 2018.
Two of the defendants — German-Irish citizen Sean Binder, 25, and former Syrian refugee Sarah Mardini, 24, whose 2015 journey to Europe with her sister inspired the 2022 Netflix film The Swimmers — were arrested by the Greek authorities in 2018 following a rescue operation and detained for 106 days.
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